Second screen gaming has already started to take off, since the introduction of Microsot’s SmartGlass app last year. With publishers like Ubisoft and Capcom also incorporating the technology in their latest games, for example Dead Rising 3 and The Crew, it seems like the next generation of consoles will give us even more reason to game with a tablet by our side. Outside of using your tablet to enhance the game you are playing however, Microsoft and Sony also have big plans for a dedicated mobile app to link with your gaming profile, and to enable you to make purchases and check your trophy/achievement progress on the go.

The Xbox app has already been shown off in pretty big detail, so now it is time for the PlayStation companion app to be detailed. If you caught up with Sony’s TGS keynote conference the other week, you would have seen Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida demonstrating the app, which will launch alongside PS4 later this year.

The new app allows you to take the PlayStation experience with you when you’re away from your console. You can stay in touch with, friends, compare trophies, view friends’ activity (including recorded or live-streamed gameplay on PS4) and access all the latest PlayStation Blog news. It is in essence a more advanced and useful version of the mobile app currently available for mobile, only with the addition of being able to view recorded game clips and make purchases. It also looks a lot nicer, and its UI is clearly designed to match up with the one on the PlayStation 4 itself.

“It’s an application that anyone can download for free on iOS and Android devices, Yoshida explained. “There are a variety of things you can do with it. You can connect to your PlayStation profile, and send messages – even voice messages – to friends between your smartphone and PS4. A friend on PS4 can also send out an invitation for a multiplayer game, which you can then check on the App, and you can also purchase PS4 games from PlayStation Store. Your game will immediately start downloading while you’re away.”

The app itself will also allow for many second screen gaming opportunities, for example in the in-built Playroom software for PS4, where the user can draw objects on the tablets screen for use within the game. One thing is for sure, with the addition of remote play for every PS4 title via the Vita, and Gakai eventually offering streaming gameplay to a multitude of devices, it seems you will be able to enjoy your PS4 experience EVERYWHERE.